


wishing on dandelions (that one day you’ll be mine)

by Mondisaster



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Canon Compliant, Fluff, Getting Together, Idiots in Love, Kiss Kiss Fall in Love, M/M, Oikawa is a sappy, flowers symbolism kinda
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-11
Updated: 2021-02-11
Packaged: 2021-03-18 08:00:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,824
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29365137
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mondisaster/pseuds/Mondisaster
Summary: Dandelions are a symbol of fighting through the challenges of life and emerging victorious on the other side. A symbol of luck. A symbol for dreamers and fighters.That’s why Iwaizumi thinks that meeting Oikawa Tooru surrounded by them wasn’t a coincidence.
Relationships: Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru
Comments: 7
Kudos: 39
Collections: Iwaoi Server Valentine Exchange 2021





	wishing on dandelions (that one day you’ll be mine)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [innogueira](https://archiveofourown.org/users/innogueira/gifts).



> My dear giftee, I hope you enjoy this. It may not be the best fic but have a lot of love. Here's some fluff and boys in love  
> Happy Valentine's day! 
> 
> Special thanks to Rae for beta read this for me, you're the best! And you all should go check their work as well either on ao3 or twt !

The spring always carried the dandelion flowers with it, they bloomed all around the park, making it look even more lively than it really was. Especially in the area where Iwaizumi Hajime was walking on, close to the small river.

Most of the days, the little corner by the river was lonely, only filling with the sound of the water, so it was the perfect place for him to catch bugs in peace. But that day, when the yellow petals seemed to be finally absorbed by the sun, leaving their ghosts behind on the puffballs, someone seemed to be invading his little space. 

Iwaizumi remembered perfectly the day he met Oikawa, of course. The picture of Oikawa was so fresh his memory: the little kid with messy brown hair, little purple specks adorning his pale arms, dirt on his face, and a volleyball between his legs; that boy who was sitting among the dandelions, blowing the white seeds into the air with his eyes closed.

He never imagined that this would change his life in any way. How many changes could a person bring to his life, anyway?

“What are you doing?” asked Iwaizumi, putting his net on the ground, making the other boy yelp as he lost his balance and fell onto his butt. 

“Hey! You made me mess up!” squealed the boy, frowning at Iwaizumi and crossing his legs on the ground and taking another dandelion. 

“What exactly did I mess up, huh? You weren't doing anything!” 

The boy ran a hand through his tousled caramel curls, snorting at the question as if what he was doing was the most normal thing in the world. Or as if Iwaizumi was an idiot. Or both.

“Don’t you know? If you blow the seed of the dandelion with a single blow, your wish will come true.”

Iwaizumi arched his eyebrow. How could a simple flower grant wishes to people who blow them? That seemed pretty dumb, maybe he was messing with him. 

“Who told you that lie?”

“It’s not a lie, my Onee-chan told me that this works! And she’s very wise, you know?” the chest-nut boy muttered, making a little pout on his mouth while he took another dandelion from the ground and put it in front of his mouth. 

He blew as hard as he could, but not all the seeds took off from the boy’s attempt. And Hajime can’t hold back the laugh.

“Why are you insisting, anyway? What’s so important to you that you’re trying to wish that a plant granted you that?” 

The boy started playing with his fingers, full of bandits around them, his gaze now fixed into the volleyball he placed on the hole between his crossed legs. “I want to be the best setter in the world and play for Japan at the Olympics”

“But you're only what? seven? You can’t be in the Olympics.” Iwaizumi pointed out, making the other boy lift his head from the ball and looking at him like he had grown two heads.

“I’m almost nine! And I don't mean now, you brute! First I have to go to nationals. Look, do you know anything about volleyball?”

“Nothing. Only that you have to hit the ball over a net, right?”

“Do you want to know about it and practice with me? You could be my ace!” The pout on his face was replaced with a smile, shy and small like he was waiting for rejection. But his eyes were shining, maybe because the sun reflected that leak between the leaves, maybe for the emotion, and maybe that was the reason why Hajime didn't refuse to play with him that day. He looked like the dreamer type.

“Okay, teach me your dumb game” Iwaizumi shrugged, rolling his eyes while the other boy stood up, his smile widened. The boy took the ball below his arm and extended a hand towards Hajime to help him up. "I'm Oikawa Tooru."

"Iwaizumi Hajime."

"Alright, Iwa-chan, let's see if you are good enough to be my ace," Oikawa said, his eyes gaining an almost feral shine that made Hajime realize it was a challenge. 

“I hope you’re ready to eat dirt, Loserkawa!” Iwaizumi matched Oikawa’s smile and took the ball from his arm and ran away, laughing in Oikawa's face. His net was forgotten between the dandelions while Oikawa shouted to him and chased after him. 

“Hey, that's mean! Iwa-chan, come back here!”

After that day, the place that used to be Iwaizumi’s favorite spot to catch bugs was turned into their practice court. Hajime’s safe place was turned into theirs. Tooru and Hajime. Iwaizumi and Oikawa. Both of them trying and trying to be better than the day before. Jumping every time higher, convincing that they can reach the stars. To shine brighter than the sun. 

They turned that corner into their court. One where they played, screamed, and had fun. The first one they learned to rule against the odds. Only with their determination and their newfound pillar by his side. But also the place where they grew up, not only as setter and spiker but as people. 

That little corner at Dainohara Forest Park was theirs. There they shared more than childish and amateur volleyball practice, but actually grew their bond every day. A bond that was surrounded by the dandelions blooming around them and seeds flying around them on windy days.

That corner was the place where they talked about their dreams, their plans, their heart’s desires. The dreams of two best friends, longing to be together below a spotlight on the big scenario. To stand together at nationals when they gotto middle school, high school, college… all the way until they could stand together on the Olympic stage proudly clad in red. Side by side. Conquering the world and spreading their talent like dandelion seeds.

The best setter in Japan and his invincible ace, "We are going to conquer that stage, Iwa-chan. First the nationals, then the Olympics." Tooru always assured, with a big smile on his face and a wild look in his eyes. 

Iwaizumi still remembers the day they stepped on that corner of the park with a different purpose. With the beginning of a new tradition. 

Tooru had asked him, just before starting middle school, to go practice a bit with him in the park. Except that he wasn't carrying any volleyball with him when he appears at the door of the Iwaizumi house. 

Hajime knew it was useless trying to make his best friend tell him his intentions, so he simply followed him until they were both sitting near the lake, shoulder to shoulder, surrounded by dandelions like they always were.

“Okay, why are we here, Oikawa? You can drop the lame enigmatic act now, you know? My mom noticed you didn’t have a volleyball with you anyway.”

Oikawa sighed as he plucked out one of the dandelions he had on his left and started to play with the stem between his fingers. Hajime’s eyes fixated on those hands. They had changed so much in a couple of years. 

All the effort Oikawa had made so far was now reflected in his hands. The rigorous training, the disciplined night routine he had adopted after they had joined the Lil’Tykers Volleyball class after they had watched the friendly match between Argentina and Japan. Every single effort has now changed the hands of his best friend. 

The bandaged fingers were now replaced for long, manicured fingers capable of manipulating the most delicate things to the wildest plays on the court. Because Tooru was always looking for new opportunities, for new ways to bring the best of himself, for new ways to steal the shine of the stars above him. 

“We’re going to start middle school tomorrow” muttered Oikawa, eyes still on the dandelion ion his fingers. Iwaizumi huffed beside him and that was enough for Tooru to know that he was listening. 

“I want to be in the starting lineup. I want us to be there.”

Iwaizumi looked up, pulling his gaze away from Oikawa’s fingers and focusing on his features instead. Oikawa wasn’t smiling, his lips pressed together, almost biting his lower lip. But what caught Hajime’s attention were his eyes. They had something different. A shine he hadn’t seen before and it had nothing to do with the sunset happening in front of them. Hajime could swear that his eyes had almost changed from caramel to almost scarlet. 

“And how are we gonna do that? Will be on the bench for our first year for sure”

“Geez, Iwa-chan, have a little more faith in us!” Oikawa hissed, turning to face Iwaizumi and pointing the dandelion on his fingers towards his best friend. “I have faith in us. I believe in us. Oikawa’s voice softened with his next words, “but just in case, I think we should make a wish.”

Oikawa’s smile unfolded on his face, changing his features from intimidating to childish again. And Iwaizumi would never admit that out loud, but he loves that smile because it’s contagious. It reminds him of the first time he saw Oikawa. The day his life changed for the better without him even realizing. 

Iwaizumi felt his own smile stretch across his lips, taking the dandelion from Oikawa’s hand.

“Do you still believe in this crap? Your sister hasn’t already told you that this is just a dumb story” Iwaizumi said, waving the dandelion to make the little seeds fall and make his friend gasp. 

“Iwa-chan, don’t do that or the wish won’t come true!” Oikawa grumbled, taking Iwaizumi’s hand to make him stop. “And for your information, the last time I wished for something with a dandelion, it came true in seconds. So I’m not going to waste the chance. Ready?”

Oikawa let go of Hajime's hand and took another dandelion from the ground to put it in front of his lips. That was the cue for Iwaizumi to do the same. After all the years he had known Oikawa, he still couldn’t deny anything to him. 

“Let’s do this and head back home. I don’t want to be late for dinner. I’m ready.”

“At the count of three, Iwa-chan. One!”

“Two” 

“Three!” They said at the same time, blowing the little seeds into the wind, watching them get lost in the air and the nearby river. They both stayed still, even if the seeds were long gone. "They are carrying our wishes to the stars, Iwa-chan", was what Oikawa used to say. But on that occasion, he was quiet. Eyes looking forward. Eyes always set on the horizon, at the sun. He then extended his fist to Hajime, who understood the gesture and lifted up his own.

“Let’s do our best, Iwa-chan,” Oikawa said, fist-bumping his best friend. “Let’s be the starting setter and wing spiker our first year.”

They didn’t get on the starting lineup until they were in their second year. But they kept up with the tradition anyways; blowing dandelions to the sky before every match, every tournament, every practice match even. 

It was something they did when they needed good luck, too. Something to give them some kind of hope. Something only for them and the sky. Nothing changed their “dandelion tradition”. It was always them, blowing dandelions into the sky with their eyes on the sky. Except that Iwaizumi started to notice that something had changed in Oikawa. 

His smile was more and more absent and his eyes looked hungrier every time. He was looking for them to reach the sun, even if that means that they would burn into ashes. He looked less like a dreamer and more like a fighter every time they returned to their corner by the river at the Dainohara Forest Park.

Iwaizumi finally realized what was on Oikawa Tooru’s mind when they were in their third and final year of middle school: frustration. Oikawa was feeling frustrated. He was feeling like he wasn’t good enough to beat Shiratorizawa. He was forcing himself to the limit to fill his ego and stupid expectations from others. He was being an asshole in Hajime’s mind because he hadn't said anything to him yet. So Hajime waited. And waited. And waited. And he saw how Oikawa was failing his tosses for the first time.

Until he saw the frustration snapped Tooru in two when Tobio asked him to teach him to serve like him. Hajime saw it in his eyes. Those eyes he knew from memory. He had seen Oikawa ignoring Tobio or picking stupid little fights with him. But this time was different. He read Oikawa’s body language fast enough to stop the hit. 

“Calm down, you idiot!” Iwaizumi yelled, taking Oikawa’s arm and looking at his eyes that seemed empty. And that was downright terrifying. 

Iwaizumi remembered that fight. And he knows Oikawa does too. It’s burned into their minds forevermore.

The team with the better six is stronger. 

Iwaizumi also remembered the walk home that evening. Oikawa with a bloody nose and Iwaizumi with a bruise on his forehead. Silence filling the space between them. Until Oikawa broke it. 

“Sorry for that. I didn’t mean to lose my cool with Tobio-chan. I… I didn’t want to actually hit him either. Thank you for stopping me, Iwa-chan.”

“I know” Iwaizumi grunted. “You are an idiot, but I know you’re better than this”.

“But… what if I’m not, Iwa-chan? What if we don’t go to nationals this year either?”

“We will.”

“How can you be so sure about that?” Oikawa asked, fear still shining in his eyes. 

Hajime didn’t answer right away. Instead, he sighed and walked a few steps back, ignoring Oikawa's screams asking where the hell he was going. After a couple of seconds, he returned to Oikawa's side as he handed the dandelion in his hand to Oikawa.

"I know we have a strong team. I know you're an amazing setter and I know my spikes can go through Shiratorizawa's blockers. I know we can win this time. But we can't waste the chance to make a wish anyway, right?"

A little and sincere smile creeped out on Oikawa’s lips as he took the dandelion from Hajime’s fingers. They were so used to taking the other’s hand between theirs that it was no longer an intimate touch for them. Hajime's hands fit perfectly with Tooru's, after all.

“No, we can’t. When did you become so smart, Iwa-chan?”

“Shut up and blow it, Oikawa, before I hit you again.”

“Such a brute, Iwa-chan” Oikawa chirped before blowing the little flower in Iwaizumi's direction.

“Oi, you asshole! Why did you do that?” Iwaizumi said, trying to get the little seeds out of his face before they entered into his mouth, making exaggerated hand movements that were making Oikawa laugh loudly.

“That’s for the hit on my face, Iwa-chan!” 

Blowing the little white seeds into the wind had the same effect now that it had when they were kids. It was a charm to lift their spirits and fill them with a little hope. But, as usual, it never worked. Their wishes never came true. 

They played in their last match, scoring points, giving the best of themselves. And it wasn’t enough. Once again, Shiratorizawa won. Once again, the wish fell through. They ended middle school with dreams crushed. 

Tooru had smiled so brightly and sincerely when he had received the best setter’s prize. But Hajime recalled seeing him cry too. Heartbroken on his chest but a new promise, a new wish in his lips.

“When we get into high school, we’re going to crush Shiratorizawa”

“Of course we will”

They decided to go to Aoba Johsai together after that. It was one of the top four schools in Miyagi and the only one that could gather together a team strong enough to beat Shiratorizawa. And they would beat them. After all, they were growing stronger with every match, every set, every spike. They were getting higher and higher, looking for a way to reach the stars.

They were changing in every possible way. Except in one. They kept blowing dandelions to wish for good luck, for their dreams, for them. Sometimes, Hanamaki and Matsuwaka would join them to mock them, mostly. But Oikawa always said the same:

“It worked the first time I did it. I’m not wasting any chance”

Those times Oikawa’s eyes were still focusing on the horizon, but there’s something new there:determination. Iwaizumi realized this after he won the best setter prize. The new shine in his eyes was determination. He turned into a dreamer again. But he was stilla fighter.

After all, the Oikawa Tooru that Iwaizumi knew never gave up. Not even when he was shattered. He was like the dandelions. He wilted sometimes. But he would always spread new seeds and bloom again, causing those around him to grow with him.

And he kept dreaming, wishing, working to make his path to the great stage. He had worn blue on the court for six years, but Oikawa still longed to wear red. After all, blue had never made him go to nationals. 

However, Iwaizumi was wrong. 

He knew it the moment Oikawa took him to their corner again, one week after they had watched Karasuno earn their tickets to nationals. 

That day, he knew why Oikawa had been looking at the horizon, at the sun for so long. 

They were seated on the same old spot where they have met, where they have grown together, where they had created every single one of their dreams together as kids. Oikawa was quiet, eyes fixed on the dandelion that he was making dance between his long fingers. 

“So, what happened?”

“What makes you think something happened, Iwa-chan?” Tooru asked, turning his head to look at Iwaizumi. There it was again. That determination on his eyes. This time with a little something else there that Hajime couldn’t recognize. 

Iwaizumi looked straight to the caramel eyes of his best friend. Even if they grew, even if their goals had changed a little after their loss against Karasuno, Oikawa’s eyes were always the same. Even if Okawa had put a facade over his face, his eyes are clear. The real window to Oikawa’s heart desires and thoughts. 

“Your eyes. You have been avoiding me since we left Matsukawa and Hanamaki behind.”

“Am I that obvious, huh?”

Iwaizumi huffed, pushing Oikawa with his shoulder. "You can't hide anything from me"

"Oh, of course I can, Iwa-chan. Sometimes you're too dense for your own good."

“What the hell are...?” 

Iwaizumi's words were stopped by the long finger of Oikawa pressed against his lips. 

Oikawa didn't say anything, he simply blew the dandelion on his other hand, eyes still fixed on Iwaizumi’s green eyes.

The little white seeds flew between them, making their way to the sky with the light wind of the afternoon. But some of them were left behind, still holding to the bud of the stem refusing to let it go. 

A smile appeared on Oikawa's face. And Iwaizumi recognized it instantly. It was the same smile Oikawa had flashed him when they were kids. One full of fear for rejection. 

“Well, this didn’t turn out well.” Oikawa sighed, letting the stem fall and setting his eyes again on the sunset in front of them before adding his question: “Iwa-chan, remember what you told me last week?”

“About you being a creepy obsessed pain-in-the-ass jerk?” Iwaizumi replied, making Oikawa bump his shoulder with his fist. 

“You always remember the mean things, Iwa-chan!” Oikawa squealed as Iwaizumi laughed. “You said that I could never be satisfied with perfection and that I’ll probably devote myself to pursue volleyball all my life.”

“I also told you that you should do it and never look back,” added Iwaizumi, moving a little closer to his best friend. “Whatever you are going to tell me, I’ll support you. You know that, right?”

“Even if I’m across the ocean, Iwa-chan? Even if I move across the world?” Oikawa’s voice was low, almost a whisper. And Iwaizumi could see that small boy he once found surrounded by dandelions, holding his dream in his hand and wishing with all his heart to come true. Except that this time, Iwaizumi knew that Oikawa could reach every goal he wanted to.

Iwaizumi kept the silence between them for a while. He had always known that Miyagi and Japan were too small for Tooru. He was made for greatness. Iwaizumi knew that Oikawa would be capable of overcoming every hardship in front of him and still stand strong and proud until the end. 

Oikawa was too big for Japan.

“Do it and don’t look back, Tooru. Don’t let the lost dandelions determine your dreams. Make them come true.” 

“I have to give them some credit, you know,” said Oikawa, resting his head on Iwaizumi’s shoulder. “They did make my first wish come true.”

“You always said that but you have never really told me what they supposedly did for you” stated Iwazimu. 

“Maybe someday I’ll tell you, Iwa-chan, when they make my second wish come true.”

“You’re such an idiot.”

“And I’m still the best person you know.”

And yet, Iwaizumi thought that idiot was the best person he knew and he was ready to see Oikawa conquering the world and coming back to Japan to crush everyone. Even if they had to part ways for a while, Iwaizumi knew that they would always end up in the same place: on their corner of that park, surrounded by seeds of dandelions and the sun in front of them. 

They parted ways a month later. Oikawa left for Argentina and Iwaizumi was doing his research to get an internship at the University of California Irvine with the one and only Utsui Takashi. If Oikawa was going to come back to Japan being the best, Iwaizumi wanted to be on his level. After all, they made a promise. They had to be on the big stage together. Either as teammates or as rivals.

And Oikawa had chosen as rivals the year they had turned 24. After five years overseas, Oikawa had decided not to come back to Japan. 

Iwaizumi also remembered that morning clearly. He had just come back from California a couple of weeks ago and he had an offer from the Adlers to work with them thanks to Ushijima. He wanted to share the news that day with Tooru. 

Even if they were physically far away, they have never moved an inch from each other’s lives. 

Iwaizumi recalled that morning, it was snowing in Tokyo but it was a hot day in San Juan. And Iwaizumi wondered if that was the first sign he should have noticed. The sign that they will remain on different sides from now on. 

Tooru’s face appeared on his tablet’s screen, with a grin on his face and that look on his eyes that Iwaizumi knew could identify faster than before. Tooru was nervous. 

“So, how does it feel to be back in Tokyo, Iwa-chan?”, Oikawa asked, playing with something on his hand that Hajime couldn’t see. 

“I’m still getting used to the timezone but I had an offer today. I think I can maybe get some for you when you get back if you behave and stop making your neighbor angry”

“Iwa-chan! You know he’s the one making a fuss over nothing. It’s not my fault he’s not an early riser.” Tooru rolled his eyes, the smile never reaching them. “But tell, Iwa-chan, where did you get the offer? Are you settling on Tokyo for a while?”

“If the Adlers want me to, yes.”

Tooru raised an eyebrow. “Are you gonna coach Tobio-chan and Ushiwaka? Are you fucking kidding me, Iwa-chan? They’re our rivals!”

“Tooru you played with Hinata in Brazil. We left high school behind long ago.”

“Shouyou is a different story, Iwa-chan!” said Tooru, waving his hand so Hajime could see what he was holding. A dandelion. Tooru had big news. 

“Anyway, you can rant about Kageyama and Ushijima later. Tell me what’s happening with you.”

“First things first, Iwa-chan—” he waved the dandelion on his hand—, “let me prove something.”

“By blowing the puffball of a dandelion?”

“Just shut up and let me do it! It’s important to me.”

Hajime rolled his eyes and smiled, making a gesture with his hand so Tooru could blow the little flower on his hand. Tooru understood and closed his eyes, placing the dandelion in front of the camera and blowing it. 

Hajime was still amazed that they kept doing that. Every time Tooru had big news, he blew one dandelion while they were talking. And he knows that Tooru did that before every match. Hajime didn’t have to ask, he just knew it because he did the same thing every time Tooru had a match. And every time he had a big exam.

After all, they weren’t the ones to waste chances.

Hajime kept staring at Tooru’s face as he blew the puffball. He has changed. He looked different every time Hajime saw him. He was taller and his skin now sun-kissed, covered with a constellation of freckles across his face and shoulders that made his eyes only shine brighter.

But Hajime also noticed that Tooru was happier, free to be himself and making his own path, blooming to his true potential with every ace serve done and every match he had won. He had overcome both language and culture barriers in Argentina and now was a loved athlete and teammate there. Argentina had embraced him and made him their sun. 

Tooru finally opened his eyes after the seeds flew away, little white clouds tangling on his chestnut bangs and covering his face for a moment, making him look almost ethereal. However, some seeds were still hanging in the bud of the stem. 

Hajime saw Tooru’s shoulder drop as he left out a deep sigh.

“Well, I guess it isn’t mean to be now,” Tooru whispered for himself and before Hajime could ask about that, he added: “They are offering me citizenship. They want me to play for them... officially. As an Argentinian.”

“Does that mean…”

“I have to give up my Japanese citizenship. If I take this chance, I can't go back to Japan. Not yet, anyway.”

There’s a silence between them. It’s not uncomfortable, but it’s heavy. They looked into the other's eyes, trying to say everything without words but it's harder when there are thousands miles between them. It's harder when they can't touch and hold the other close. But they had overcome bigger challenges, so distance was nothing for them. No matter what, Hajime still had Tooru's back.

“You should do it."

Hajime could see the little, genuine, smile tug on Tooru’s lips, curving them upwards. Making his face glow, reaching his eyes and making them look like dark gold. Hajime could see how much Tooru wanted to become an Argentinian by the expression on his face, he only needed a little push.

And Hajime didn't want anything more than to see Tooru happy. And he was clearly happy in Argentina.

After all, red had never been Tooru’s color. He was made for the shades of blue, like the sky. He was the sun. He was brighter now.

“But, you know—” Hajime added before Tooru could say something— “I’m still gonna destroy you when we play against the other. Be sure to have a place in the starting lineup for the next Olympics.”

Tooru laughed, cheerful and low, the same gleeful sound that made Hajime’s heartbeat beat a little faster. 

“Oh, my dear Iwa-chan, I can’t wait to beat everyone. I’m going to make the monster generation kneel.”

Pride for each other and for themselves was written all over their faces. Tooru had decided that they would stand on the big stage as rivals. And Hajime couldn't be more proud of his decision. Tooru's place is in the land of the sun and the sky, his destiny to conquer the world. And Japan was too small for him to reach that goal.

They kept in touch for the next three years, they kept working hard and wishing on dandelions, they kept looking to reach the sky even when the wind was blowing harder and harder on them, trying to make them surrender. But they are stubborn, so they make the difficult wind of life their ally; sometimes wanting to surrender but, on those occasions, they always have the other’s back. Working through the adversities to grow stronger and better.

They may be an ocean away, but their hearts were in the same place.

However, the Olympics close that gap soon enough. They are 27 when the ocean is no longer between them and the only thing that keeps them apart is a net across the court. Red and blue on the sides of the court but two hearts that are beating at the same peace, almost above the sound of the ball smashing the ground. 

They only shared four words before the match started: “I believe in you”. And Hajime knows that, before the match, Tooru blew a dandelion to the sky cause his hair still has little white seeds adorning his brown curls. He knows because he has done the same that morning. Wishing on dandelions for Tooru. 

Argentina wins the match with a service ace from his young talented setter and Hajime feels like he had won too when Tooru flashed him a radiant smile that made the spotlights on the Ariake Arena faded. Tooru’s carrying the sun with him. He may be brighter now.

After the Olympics, they agree to head back to Miyagi together to catch up with the rest of their old teammates and family. They hung out with Matsukawa and Hanamaki in Tokyo and their parents and Tooru’s big sister and nephew had gone to the match; they had seen their loved ones in Tokyo, but they wanted to return to the place they had called home for so long.

However, the first place they visited wasn’t their parent's house. Subconsciously they were walking down the street that led them to the Dainohara Forest Park. They were walking side by side, their hands brushing together until Tooru had grabbed his pinky with his own to drag him until their corner in the park. It has been ten years since they have been there, wishing on dandelions for the dream they reached on their own. 

“Hey, Iwa-chan, do you know why I keep blowing the little puffballs of dandelions?” asked Tooru once they were just on the side of the little river where the little field of dandelions was on their feet. 

“Cause you’re an idiot.”

“Rude, Iwa-chan!” coed Tooru as he bent down to pick up a dandelion, never letting go of the grip between their pinkies. He took two dandelions on his right hand before he straightened again, this time he made sure he was in front of Hajime, looking in his eyes as the sun reflected the last ray of light in them, their fingers refusing to let go of each other. 

“There’s a lot more meaning to these little flowers, you know? Onee-chan told me they were to ask for wishes but she also told me that there are two other legends involving the dandelions. Do you want to hear them?” asked Tooru, voice low and eyes shiny, taking a little step towards Hajime to close the gap. 

Hajime felt his throat dry and nodded, making Tooru smile again. 

“Onee-chan told me that the dandelions can carry your thoughts too, you know? That if you blow them into the air, your thoughts and dreams will reach your loved ones even if they are far away from you,” Tooru said with a sweet tone, “I never stop doing this in Argentina, I was always wishing these little seeds would reach you and let you know I was thinking of you every day. Isn’t stupid?”

And Hajime knew it wasn’t, because he had been doing the same. Every time he had thought about Tooru, he went out to look for a dandelion and blew it into the sky. Wishing for Tooru; wishing he could see him, hug him, kiss him ... have him.

“And—” Tooru kept talking— ”the legends also say that if you can blow all the seeds off a dandelion with a single breath, then the person you love will love you back. But if seeds remain on the little bud, then the object of your affection may have reservations about their feelings toward you.”

Tooru took a deep breath before adding:

“I have been blowing them for ten years, Hajime, and some seeds always remain no matter how hard I blow them. Do you think that if I blow on one right now, I’ll have a chance?”

Hajime chuckled, feeling overwhelmingly happy all of sudden. So Tooru felt the same way. Breaking eye contact for the first time, Hajime took a step forward before answer the question:

“We shouldn’t waste the chance, right?”

Tooru laughed with him and placed the dandelion between them. They closed their eyes and blew the dandelion together, this time Hajime let go of Tooru's pinky so he could intertwine the rest of their fingers.

When they open their eyes, there’s not a single seed attached to the bud of the flower. They laughed, loud and cheerful, as they closed the few inches between them to rest their forehead together. 

“Do you want to know what was the first wish the dandelions fulfilled for me, Hajime?,” Tooru hushed, tightening the grip on Hajime’s hand. “I wished to have someone by my side forever. I've been wishing on dandelions for you almost all my life.”

“You’re so cheesy, Tooru” Hajime sneered, taking their linked hands to his lips and leaving a kiss on the back of Tooru’s hand, almost with blind devotion. Hajime kissed every inch of skin on those long fingers and the rest of his hands that could hold the world. The ones that had been holding Hajime for so long. Hajime kissed his knuckles, one by one, making Tooru sigh. Kisses full of yearning, admiration and so much love. 

Without taking Tooru’s hand from his lips, Hajime whispered.“But I guess I've been waiting for this since I met you too”.

It was not a coincidence they had met surrounded by dandelions, Hajime thought as he cupped Tooru’s face to kiss him. After all, the man in front of him was a dreamer and a fighter that was always reaching for his dreams, always looking towards the sun. Always blooming even in the worst scenarios, always emerging victorious. 

And in that moment, surrounded by seeds of dandelions around them, shared kisses and laughs, Hajime believed that the wishes really could come true after all. 


End file.
